Former National Lottery Authority (NLA) boss and leading NPP figure, Hon. Sammi Awuku, has taken to Facebook to express outrage over what he describes as a crushing wave of taxes and utility price hikes under the current Mahama-led NDC administration.
Reacting to the implementation of the new fuel tax, officially known as the Energy Sector Levy (Amendment) Act, 2025 — or the “Dumsor Levy” — Awuku minced no words.
“A day of reckoning is here,” he declared. “In May 2025, electricity tariffs went up by 14.75% and water by 4.02%. Today, July 16, we’ve been slapped with another 2.45% hike in electricity. That’s a total of 17.2% in less than three months.”
Comparing this to the previous NPP government, Awuku noted that “all of 2024 saw less than an 11% increase and even had a 6.65% reduction for lifeline users in the first quarter.”
He was even more scathing about the newly rolled-out fuel levy. “As if that’s not enough, here comes the D-Levy.
“Call it the Death Levy, Demolition Levy, Dumsor Levy or just plain Disrespect — it fits,” he wrote, expressing clear disapproval of the GHC1 tax per litre of fuel now imposed on all Ghanaians.
Drawing a comparison with the controversial E-Levy introduced under the previous administration, Awuku pointed out that the D-Levy is far more punishing.
“E-Levy was a 1% tax charged only on mobile money transactions exceeding GH¢100. The Dumsor Levy or D-Levy is a new tax imposed, charging GHC1 on every litre of fuel you buy,” he explained.
“Unlike the E-Levy which spared you if your transaction was under 100 cedis, this one hits you even if you’re just buying 12 cedis worth of fuel. It’s like saying ‘thank you for suffering, here’s more.’”
Awuku went further to highlight recent increases in fuel prices, revealing that “petrol went up by 2% and diesel by 5% from July 2, thanks to COMAC’s projections.”
In a sharp jab at the government’s cost-cutting narrative, he quipped: “If government is serious about cutting down fuel allocations, maybe they should start by closing their private pump at the presidency.”
He also questioned the ever-expanding list of government appointees, saying, “Let’s be clear — who exactly is a government appointee? Because the list keeps growing like a family WhatsApp group.”
Ending on a sarcastic but somber note, Awuku wrote, “We really traded our flat screen TV for a black and white box. What a time. Good morning, Ghanafo).”
Read his full post here.
